Zimbabwean Nurses Pursue Improved Conditions Abroad
Healthcare professionals outside Zimbabwe maintain contact with their patients as the country’s health sector faces ongoing challenges. Setfree Mafukidze, who moved to the United Kingdom in 2021, was the head nurse at a clinic in Chivu, providing care for over 10,000 people. Despite the economic struggles in Zimbabwe, Mafukidze often covered patients’ expenses from his pocket.
Brexit in 2016 and the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 led to a shortage of skilled professionals in the UK, resulting in increased work visas issued to foreign healthcare workers. From September 2022 to September 2023, 21,130 Zimbabweans received UK work visas, a 169% rise from the previous year.
Numerous workers in Zimbabwe desire to work abroad due to inadequate pay, poor working conditions, and a healthcare system in disarray. Beyond financial concerns, health training schools lack resources, hospitals face equipment shortages, and the working environment is challenging.
Despite the emotional attachment healthcare workers feel toward their patients, Zimbabwe’s deteriorating healthcare system and economic crisis create a dilemma for those living abroad. Some continue to offer virtual consultations to their former patients but grapple with feelings of neglect.
While there is a consensus among some emigrants that they would like to return home one day, practical challenges such as low pay and unfavorable working conditions deter their immediate return. Calls are made for these professionals to come back and contribute to rebuilding the healthcare system.
In WhatsApp groups, healthcare workers discuss their eventual return to Zimbabwe, citing the need to build houses, secure financial stability, and wait for improved working conditions. However, challenges adapting to the different healthcare systems, weather, and homesickness contribute to their hesitation. Some also express the need for a second job to cover increased expenses, but visa restrictions make this challenging.
Despite the obstacles, there is optimism among some healthcare workers abroad, like Mafukidze, that they will return to Zimbabwe one day to contribute to their compatriots’ well-being.
